Explore safer careers (5)
Lower estimated automation risk
Why it fits
Uses technical handling of healthcare equipment and precision troubleshooting with added repair training.
Why it fits
Uses custom device fabrication, precision fitting, lab processes, and quality control for patient devices.
Why it fits
Builds on optics, precision measurement, polishing, and handling of optical components.
Why it fits
Reuses ophthalmic terminology, lens knowledge, measurement precision, and eye-care workflow familiarity.
Why it fits
Adjacent eye-care technical role using optical knowledge with added clinical testing responsibilities.
Occupation snapshot
What does this snowflake show?
What's this?
We rate jobs using four factors. These are:
- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions
These are some key things to think about when job hunting.
Risk & user votes
Calculated automation risk
Imminent Risk (81-100%): This occupation appears highly exposed to end-to-end replacement by AI, software, robotics, or other computer-controlled systems. Roles in this range often involve predictable, repeatable, or rules-based work with limited need for human judgement, trust, creativity, or adaptation to messy real-world conditions. This does not mean every job will disappear immediately, but it is a strong signal to consider safer alternatives or start building more resilient skills.
More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.
Human strengths important in this job
These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.
What users think
Based on 15 votes
What do you think the risk of automation is?
What is the likelihood that Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?
Pay & outlook
Wages
In 2024, the median annual wage for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians was $38,420 ($18 per hour).
The median annual wage for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians was 22.4% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.
View wage trend
Wages over time
Growth
The number of 'Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians' job openings is expected to rise 2.3% by 2034
View employment trend
Total employment, and estimated job openings
Updated projections are due 09-2025.
Volume
As of 2024 there were 18,740 people employed as 'Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians' within the United States.
This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country
Put another way, around 1 in 8 thousand people are employed as 'Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians'.
People also viewed
Job description
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters.
O*NET-SOC code: 51-9083.00
What people are saying (1)
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